Postcards from Dublin

The main geographic feature of a Dublin is its proximity to the estuary of the river Liffey and its bay on the Irish Sea. Such strategic position for trade and military control justifies its natural role as main settlement in Ireland since Celtic times. The natural port at the eastern side of the river has been the gateway for exchanges with the rest of the a British Isles and the point of departure for migration flows in the XIX and Xx century to more distant lands.

The site of Dublin Castle stands where the city got its name, the Dub Lind, the dark pool that was the junction of the river Poddle entering the river Liffey. The castle has been the seat of power in Ireland since the Norman conquest, all the way through the Union with the English and British crown. Since Irish independence in 1922 it has played high ceremonial role in the life of the Republic, being the swearing place for the Presidents of Ireland and the venue for key state visits.

As for many of my city breaks in this period, one of the main reason for my visit to Dublin was to experience the local national opera. In fact I went to the Gaiety Theatre to enjoy the first post-lockdown production of the Irish National Opera, with an all time favourite staging of Beethoven’s Fidelio. The bijou theatre was the perfect setting for an opera designed for the relatively small stages of opera houses of the classical period.

An amazing collection of paintings and sculptures is put on display at the National Gallery of Ireland, an institution set up in Victorian times in 1854. The Gallery has since been the point of reference for Irish and European artists showcasing their works of art in a splendid neoclassical setting. With recent modern extensions the Gallery is very popular with visitors and offers a complete range of Irish paintings and European contemporaries across the last three centuries.